Close Brushes with Fame Thread

I went on a booze cruise out of Waikiki with Ron Jeremy.

Met international soccer star Ruud Gullit in the Amsterdam airport on my way back from studying in Venice. That was pretty cool. Got his autograph.

bym051d said:

Met Pete Rose and got his autograph.

Met Billy Beane and got a copy of Moneyball. Maybe the best speaker I've ever heard.

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I sold Wojo a copy of Moneyball while working at a Barnes and Noble near Durham. He’s bigger than you would think.

Hung around as a kid with Meryl Streep (then known as Mary).

Sat next to future Playmate of the month Helena Antonaccio (June 1969) in homeroom in HS. I was going to ask her to go to our senior prom with me, but her boyfriend was a 20-year-old tough guy who was in a mortorcycle gang (wish I had risked my life now).

While working in NYC, I started dating a typist who moonlighted as a stripper at night. She was smoking hot and loved the attention she got from other guys, regardless of who she was with. One night in December Joe Namath picked up our dinner tab and came over to our table to chat. He invited us (meaning her) to a roving jet-set NYE party, but it snowed a ton and I couldn't get into NYC. She told me later that she spent the night at Joe's.

I was housed in an apartment my first two years at Wake. One Saturday Brian Piccolo and Norm Snead knocked on our door, looking for the athletic trainer who lived next door. Doc was off somewhere, so we invited them to hang out and they drank beer with us for a couple of hours.

Seven months after graduation I headed back to W-S with a gal I had dated in Ocean City, Md. She was also smoking hot and talked me into driving to Fort Lauderdale instead. Whe we got there she asked it we could drop by to see a friend of hers. The "friend" turned out to be future #3 tennis player Brian Gottfried, who was home from college. Realizing that I had been set up, I drank some good wine in Gottfried's living room with two other tennis players while he plowed her in the next room. One guy was a complete asshole and continually ribbed me about my situation while the other guy tried to cheer me up. Two years later I realized that the asshole was Jimmy Connors. I'm pretty sure the good guy was Harold Solomon.

Flew into the private terminal at Reagan National Airport in the late 80's with the managing partner of our company. Some guy grabbed me by the shoulder and started chatting me up. It was former Secretary of State Al Haig, who obviously thought I was someone else. Enjoying the moment and not wanting to embarass him, I introduced him to my boss. I waited until dinner to tell my guy that I didn't know Haig. I've always wondered who the guy I looked like was since Julian Bond also stopped me in the same terminal one day.

While in Aruba in 1997, I ran into the comedian Sinbad in the Marriott Stellaris parking lot. He was pretty lit and couldn't find the front door, so my wife and I helped him to the lobby and to check in. He recognized us at the pool the next day and bought us a ton of drinks over the next couple of days. It turned out that it was the first year of his Aruba Soul Festival and several of the groups were staying at the same hotel. I didn't really meet many of them, but Sinbad would point us out to them and shout to us when we walked by. One guy had the deepest singing voice I've ever heard (think he was in Boyz II Men).

Met Chris Paul a few times on campus. I think I checked out a book for him once while working the circulation desk in the library.

Was in Philly five years ago today (thanks for the reminder, facebook) and was at the art museum while Mario Lopez filmed an episode of Extra. I was in the background. He's very short, by the way.

Met Lewis Black after one of his shows. My friends and I were cracking jokes and just kind of carrying on. He said we were too much, then took a picture with us. I can't remember why but he told me to "shut the fuck up" and laughed. One of the proudest moments of my life.

I've met some senators and congressmen (no congresswomen yet) through work but nothing too exciting, except maybe Tim Kaine.

Hard to believe Tim Kaine may have been the exciting one.

Best chance encounter that a former colleague had: he was sitting in an airport studying his Constitutional Law casebook when William Jefferson Clinton walked by and noticed what he was reading. Bill stopped, chatted, and autographed the book, which has the opinion in Bush v. Gore in it. I can see the colleague showing up on Pawn Stars in a few years asking Rick for big bucks for the book.

Met a lot of prominent WF athletes, including Arnold Palmer about 8 years ago.
Stayed at the same hotel as the 2003 Red Sox when in Baltimore. Said wassup to Nomar and Damon. Fist bumped Big Papi.
Had a 5 min conversation with Stu Scott at a HS Football game..Super good fella(RIP)
Met Butch(RIP) and Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and Warren Haynes. May or may not have smoked a little herb with them.
Saw Jimmie Johnson and Jason Sehorn(super random) bowling together with their families. I had the lane next to them and shot the shit with them.
Corey Smith was playing some tunes at a bar in college and we ended up at the same house party after his show.


I'm probably missing some

I had dinner one night with one of Col. Claus von Staufenberg’s sons, Heimeran, a few years ago. My aunt’s special guy friend did an exchange with the von Stauffenbergs in high school in the 40s, post the “incident,” and are best buds. He had some good stories, although didn’t mention his dad. Super nice guy.

Chris Paul and his brother CJ randomly stopped by a party in our polo suite to have a beer.

Almost ran into Kareem Abdul Jabbar in a convenience store in JFK airport. He was wearing a full UCLA sweatsuit and obviously huge so hard to miss. Didn’t say anything, should have at least come up with some shallow Airplane joke.

I see cam newton on the sidewalk from time to time since he lives near my office bldg so I say hey.

I shook hands with Peyton Manning today and talked to him for 3.2 seconds. Hes not 6'5.

I was lucky enough to meet Buster Dabney at the Cincinnati airport. What a treat.

Dan Rather spoke to me and a friend on the Quad in ‘88. Was there for the debate.

We live in the same hometown as NC State great Tommy Burleson and see him often. Nice guy.

Maybe not quite as famous, but was suite mates with Michael Kelly freshman year.

Got drunk with Ric Flair a couple times. One time I told him that I had dressed up as him for Halloween in Chapel Hill and the costume got me laid and he got really excited and knocked a beer onto his son David.

Bumped into Larry Fishburne in New Orleans at the Blacksmith Shop around 2007. Morpheus is fairly small.

Met President Carter, walking with Maya Angelou, on the quad while showing my niece around campus in 2009.

Dropped a Wake classmate off at RDU for her to fly home for Thanksgiving. Phil Ford was checking-in in front of her (back when you still had to check in). I introduced myself and we talked basketball for a minute or so. He changed his seat to sit next to the girl I dropped off and tried to get her to bone him for the whole flight. This was around the same time Touche' was fucking his wife.

Speaking of dudes that aren't that big, I was on the same flight as Tyler Hansbrough (he got the A1 position on Southwest -- big baller) and he is like 6'6" tops. Made me respect his success even more, actually. Similar to seeing the much-report undersized Chuck Barkley in person.

WFU71 said:

Sat next to future Playmate of the month Helena Antonaccio (June 1969) in homeroom in HS. I was going to ask her to go to our senior prom with me, but her boyfriend was a 20-year-old tough guy who was in a mortorcycle gang (wish I had risked my life now).

While working in NYC, I started dating a typist who moonlighted as a stripper at night. She was smoking hot and loved the attention she got from other guys, regardless of who she was with. One night in December Joe Namath picked up our dinner tab and came over to our table to chat. He invited us (meaning her) to a roving jet-set NYE party, but it snowed a ton and I couldn't get into NYC. She told me later that she spent the night at Joe's.

Seven months after graduation I headed back to W-S with a gal I had dated in Ocean City, Md. She was also smoking hot and talked me into driving to Fort Lauderdale instead. Whe we got there she asked it we could drop by to see a friend of hers. The "friend" turned out to be future #3 tennis player Brian Gottfried, who was home from college. Realizing that I had been set up, I drank some good wine in Gottfried's living room with two other tennis players while he plowed her in the next room. One guy was a complete asshole and continually ribbed me about my situation while the other guy tried to cheer me up. Two years later I realized that the asshole was Jimmy Connors. I'm pretty sure the good guy was Harold Solomon.

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All 3 of these stories pretty much encapsulate what it means to be a Wake Forest Athletics fan.

Met and took a picture with Wynton Marsalis. He squeezed my buddy's torso and then, with a grin on his face, asked for another photo because "he wasn't lookin." That same night, Kevin Eubanks's brother asked me if I had any rolling papers. I did not.

I once asked Chuck Schumer if he was a fairy.

I was at Top of the Hill once many years ago with an old roommate who was at UNC Law. We saw Len Elmore chilling by himself, so she went over a struck up a conversation with him. He had just done a UNC/State game, I think. This was around when we were good (2005?), so I asked about the Deacs and he said we were ok, but had no defense (duh). He was smoking Marlboro Reds. Super chill guy, though, very friendly.

Between athletes that live or party here, and all the movie stuff going on I've seen a ton of celebs here in ATL. I mostly just see them around town and have never chatted one up other than the same 'what's up' I would give a stranger.

Athletes:
Literally ran into sweaty post workout Barkley at the Gas Station by my house a few months back. I also used to see him all the time at The Lodge (RIP), a bhead bar that used to be the Wake BBall watching bar back when we were good.
Shaq at Bhead resto.
Sat right in front of Steve Kerr for famous ACC tourney shit the bed game w/ Aminu Teague Johnson vs UMD
Holyfield had to visit the office of a firm I used to work for not good things. Came back from lunch one day and champ was in our lobby.
Hungover Oakley in line at bank.
Champ Bailey at Chipotle
Jamal Lewis in Bhead Bars

Music:
TheTwinAndreBen (the real one) on elevator to club level at Falcons game
Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson at a club in midtown
Yin Yang Twins at Phipps Plaza (they were headed into Tiffanys)

Actors:
Vampire Bill and the other old vampire dude from True Blood walking street in midtown
Ashton Kutcher frequents the bbq joint/bar down the st from me when he is in town
Picking up some peeps from airport a few weeks ago and saw Finn Wolfhard or whatever his name is Stranger Things in baggage claim.

Best sightings (non ATL)

Wake roommate was record exec in LA for a few years in late aughties. He got us a rez at Koi in Hollywood one Friday night and literally Healther Locklear, Dave Spade, Jon Lovitz and Stacy Keibler were all in that joint. Crazy.

Sat next to Jack Dorsey at Sylvain in NOLA maybe 2 years ago.

Best sighting ever was in MIA for wake Orange Bowl 06. Hanging at the bar at the Delano w Wake friends and Lohan, at the fucking height of her Lohan powers shows up. It is 85 degrees outside and she is wearing some full length designer trench coat thing. We are playing it cool until one of our female friends who wasnt paying attention sees her and full volume shouts "OMG ITS LINDSAY LOHAN" and LL does not miss a beat and full on sprints in heels and trench to the elevator never to be seen again. We did not let that girl live that down for a while.

I shared this on the chat thread, but recently ran into Dave Chappelle in Yellow Springs, Ohio a few weeks back.